Acute Care Action Network held its second convening

The WHO managed Acute Care Action Network (ACAN) held its second convening on 17 May in Geneva, bringing together over 100 representatives of its participant organizations from across the globe.<_o3a_p>

The meeting served as a key milestone in ACAN's ongoing work to advance integrated emergency, critical and operative (ECO) care in low- and middle-income countries in line with WHA Resolution 76.2.<_o3a_p>

Network progress and workgroup updates<_o3a_p>

The ACAN Secretariat opened the day with a review of progress against the network's core priorities. Workgroup chairs presented updates on their respective areas of work, spanning implementation of WHO acute care tools and resources, community empowerment, facility-based clinical quality improvement, and coordinated advocacy and resource mobilization. A dedicated session with the World Rehabilitation Alliance explored the positioning of acute care within the WRA's broader framework.<_o3a_p>

Global Strategy for Integrated ECO<_o3a_p>

Small group work focussed on the implementation of the Global Strategy for Integrated emergency, critical and operative care, 2026-2035 (WHA 79(17)) view a view to the development of the Global Action Plan, structured around the six Strategic Objectives of the Global Strategy. With WHO tasked with producing the GAP by early 2027, the session aimed to identify concrete contributions that ACAN partner organizations can make in support of each objective.<_o3a_p>

Participants worked in six parallel groups covering ECO governance and financing; ECO within models of care; workforce planning and capacity building; service delivery and quality; data for decision-making and quality improvement; and ECO in public health emergencies and humanitarian crises. Organizational commitments were captured in real time through a live polling tool, and groups reported back in plenary, with participants invited to continue adding contributions throughout the afternoon.<_o3a_p>

Forward planning<_o3a_p>

The afternoon convened four parallel working groups to shape ACAN's direction over the next two years, covering resource mobilization targets; new ways of working for workgroups; operationalizing ACAN; and ACTxBEC-related research. All four groups reported back in plenary, followed by open discussion. Next steps include refining ways of working for the groups, actively pursuing resource mobilization, and coordinated implementation of an expanded set of WHO acute care tools. The day closed with a clear mandate: annual in-person gatherings to sustain the momentum and drive the global acute care agenda. <_o3a_p>